John Cornyn and Ted Cruz flee U.S. Senate hearing as Democrats vote on Harlan Crow subpoena
The Texas Republicans opposed subpoenaing conservative donor Crow over his ties to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, casting it as a partisan attack.
Senate committee votes to subpoena Harlan Crow, Leonard Leo in Supreme Court ethics investigation
Republican senators are up in arms over an effort by Democrats to subpoena billionaire Harlan Crowe and conservative activist Leonard Leo over their ties to luxury travel and gifts accepted by Supreme Court justices. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to subpoena the conservatives after consideration of several judicial nominees. Chairman Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said in his opening remarks the subpoenas are “key pieces of our legislative effort to establish an effective code of conduct” for the Supreme Court. “I don’t buy anything you just said,” Ranking member Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., replied. “Let’s just be real blunt and direct: This is garbage.” Democrats have long sought to cross-examine Crow, a Republican megadonor, and Leo, the vice president of the Federal Society, as part of an ethics probe into allegations that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito failed to disclose luxury vacations paid for by the conservatives, their friends. SUPREME COURT ADOPTS MODIFIED ETHICS CODE AFTER PRESSURE FROM HILL DEMS Thursday’s vote comes weeks after the Supreme Court issued a new “Code of Conduct” in response to months of heightened scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers and news reports. Durbin said the self-imposed ethics code “falls far short” and urged Congress to impose more rigorous standards on the high court. Republicans have panned Democrat-sponsored legislation, the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency (SCERT) Act, as a “court-killing machine” that would “destroy the legitimacy of the conservative court.” They argue that federal judges are already bound to an ethics code, including Supreme Court justices, and that an act of Congress on the judiciary would unconstitutionally infringe on a separate and co-equal branch of government. SENATE DEMOCRATS TURN UP THE HEAT, ANNOUNCE ‘NEXT STEP’ IN SUPREME COURT ETHICS INVESTIGATION Ahead of the hearing, GOP senators introduced more than 170 amendments in what Durbin told reporters was an attempt to delay the subpoenas. “It’s an indication that they’re determined to delay any opportunity to serve a subpoena on Leonard Leo and others who are engaged in this,” Durbin said. “I just think they are afraid, very afraid that there was information that could be controversial and harmful.” TOP DEMOCRAT TRIES TO SCHOOL JUSTICE ALITO IN GROWING TIFF OVER SUPREME COURT OVERSIGHT But Republicans lambasted the Democrat-led effort as political theater. “I call it subpoena palooza,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told reporters outside the hearing room. Graham challenged Democrats, saying that if they were serious about the allegations against Thomas and Alito, they would bring the SCERT Act up for a vote. “Why hasn’t the majority leader brought up the bill that all of y’all voted for to fix this problem?” he demanded, later supplying that Democrats won’t advance the bill because it lacks enough support to pass in the Senate. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP “I don’t know who’s driving the train on your side, but you’re driving the committee off into a ditch,” Graham added, calling the subpoena vote a “joke.” Fox News’ Tyler Olson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
UN delegates circulate petition to shut down US natural gas production as global climate summit kicks off
FIRST ON FOX: Global delegates heading to the annual United Nations climate change summit are circulating a letter calling for the U.S. and other Western nations to immediately ban new natural gas infrastructure projects. According to the letter obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., is among the lead architects of the effort in addition to Lisa Badum, a member of the German Parliament who is leading her nation’s delegation at the summit, and Canadian Sen. Rosa Galvez. Markey, Badum and Galvez sent the letter to other U.S. lawmakers and global representatives ahead of the COP28 climate conference which kicks off Thursday in Dubai. “At COP26, the Unites States — along with 39 governments and institutions — signed the Glasgow Statement, pledging to prioritize the clean energy transition and end new direct public support for the international fossil fuel sector by 2022,” the letter states. “This is the very least we can do, considering that even existing production capacities already exceed the limits set by the Paris Agreement.” “Despite this, the United States is hurtling towards a massively harmful expansion of Liquefied Natural Gas infrastructure,” it continues. “Regrettably, there exist similar plans in many other countries – including in Germany, the U.S., and Canada.” UNITED NATIONS SET TO CALL ON AMERICANS TO REDUCE MEAT CONSUMPTION The letter further argues that while liquefied natural gas (LNG) — natural gas that has been cooled to enable easier transport — was originally looked to as a means to “tackle the consequences of the global energy crisis,” additional LNG capacity is “not needed.” Climate advocates have long opposed LNG and natural gas production since, when burned for power production, it produces greenhouse gas emissions. However, natural gas has widely been looked to as a replacement for coal production since it is a source of reliable power and produces roughly 40% less carbon dioxide. U.S. carbon emissions have declined nearly 20% since 2005, driven in large part by a transition from coal to natural gas generation in the power sector. DARK MONEY FUND POURED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO ECO ACTIVIST GROUPS BLOCKING HIGHWAYS, DESTROYING FAMOUS ART “The U.S. has led in the production of affordable, reliable, clean energy, in large part due to our vast fossil fuel resources,” Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, who chairs the Conservative Climate Caucus and is attending COP28, told Fox News Digital. “Republicans need a presence at COP to push back on bad ideas and show how innovation can leave our world more prosperous and better than we found it,” he said. “The goal at COP should be to reduce global emissions, not energy choices.” Curtis is among the U.S. lawmakers attending COP28 who received the letter from Markey, Badum and Galvez. The letter has received the support of additional lawmakers from the U.S., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, U.K., and the European Union. And it will be published during COP28 as part of the ongoing “Global Parliamentary Inquiry on the Progress of the Fossil Fuel Phase-out.” INTERNAL EMAILS SHOW BIDEN OFFICIALS OPENLY DISAGREED WITH ADMIN’S FOSSIL FUEL POLICIES And, on Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee hosted a hearing about America’s energy and environmental leadership on the world stage. The hearing focused on emissions reductions made possible by greater natural gas production and reliance. “This Shale Revolution and the affordable and reliable natural gas that American workers are now producing has also enabled America to reduce emissions more than any other nation, and we have the capacity to continue helping countries reduce their emissions even further,” Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., remarked during the hearing. “We should instead be working to build on our remarkable legacy, which has transformed the human condition, helped lift people out of poverty, and raised the standard of living,” she added. “The best way to do that is with a strong energy mix that takes advantage of the resources we have here at home, lowers costs for Americans, and prevents us from becoming reliant on China for our energy needs.” According to federal data, in 2005, coal generated 50% of total U.S. power across the power, industrial, commercial and residential sectors while natural gas generated just 19%. In 2022, by comparison, coal generated less than 20% of the nation’s power and natural gas generated 40%, making it by far the largest power source in the country. Markey and Badum didn’t respond to requests for comment.
White House quietly walks back Biden’s comment on adding conditions for sending assistance to Israel
The White House is not seeking to place conditions on U.S. military assistance to Israel, the White House clarified this week, despite President Biden suggesting days earlier that the U.S. would consider doing so. Several Democrats have pushed conditions as the civilian death toll in Gaza from Israel’s war against Hamas climbed but national security adviser Jake Sullivan told lawmakers on Tuesday that the White House is not seeking any conditionality. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who was among a group of about a dozen senators who met privately with Sullivan on Tuesday, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Sullivan “made it clear that the White House is not asking for any conditionality in aid. So I want to leave that very clear.” Last week, Biden told reporters that conditioning military aid to Israel was a “worthwhile thought” and suggested that had he intervened in negotiations by doing so, it would have been more difficult to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. HAMAS TERRORISTS ELIMINATED AFTER JERUSALEM SHOOTING LEAVES 3 DEAD, 11 WOUNDED, ISRAELI POLICE SAY Sullivan’s clarification is the second time this week that the White House has appeared to walk back Biden’s comment on possibly conditioning future Israel military aid. On Monday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby was directly asked if Biden was considering conditioning aid and what the president meant by a “worthwhile thought.” “What he also said, right after acknowledging that it was ‘a worthwhile thought,’ was that the approach he has chosen to take so far has produced results and outcomes,” Kirby said. DEM SENATORS TELL WHITE HOUSE ANY FURTHER ASSISTANCE TO ISRAEL ‘MUST BE CONSISTENT WITH OUR INTERESTS’ He added: “The approach that we’re taking with Israel and, quite frankly, with our partners in the region is working. It’s getting aid to people that need it. It’s getting a pause in the fighting. It’s getting hostages out. It’s getting Americans out.“ During the virtual meeting, Sullivan shared how the Biden administration would continue sending aid and assistance to Israel after its current cease-fire agreement ends with Hamas in Gaza. The meeting was held via a teleconference in which Sullivan was at the White House and senators were in a classified room on Capitol Hill. After the meeting, Van Hollen was joined by two other senators – Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I. – in asking President Biden to share his position and views publicly Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country intends to continue its ground offensive from northern to southern Gaza when the current cease-fire ends. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Texas politician wants to provide emergency services to constituents who don’t have them. Will they let him?
In unincorporated West Odessa, residents relish their freedom. And they also go without basic services. Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett, a young Republican with Ronald Reagan good looks and politics, wants to change that.
House GOP discussing vote to formalize Biden impeachment inquiry, sources say
House Republicans are expected to huddle behind closed doors Friday morning to discuss holding a vote formalizing an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, multiple sources told Fox News Digital. Three sources familiar with discussions said GOP leaders are strongly considering a House-wide vote to approve an investigation into Biden. The Friday morning meeting is expected to see chairmen of the three committees probing Biden and his family – Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways & Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo. – to make their case to the House GOP Conference. HOUSE OVERSIGHT SUBPOENAS HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN, ROB WALKER FOR TESTIMONY AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., directed the House to open an impeachment inquiry into Biden in September, but the White House has dismissed the probe as illegitimate without a formal vote on the matter. GOP leaders believe that holding a House-wide vote on formalizing the impeachment inquiry would make it harder for the Biden administration to resist House Republicans’ subpoenas and requests for information, one source explained. And moderate Republicans have indicated they see enough need to investigate Biden to support Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., holding a vote on an inquiry. WEISS SAYS HE ‘WASN’T GRANTED’ SPECIAL ATTORNEY AUTHORITY IN HUNTER BIDEN PROBE DESPITE REQUEST: TRANSCRIPT Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., whose district is anchored in Miami, told Fox News Digital, “There’s plenty of smoke coming out of the White House which justifies an impeachment inquiry.” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., whose district was narrowly won by Biden in 2020, is also supportive of opening a formal impeachment inquiry. “Since the administration has started stonewalling in the last couple of weeks, we need the impeachment inquiry to compel them to provide information. Ultimately, this is what voters need to know come next November, and the inquiry will get information,” Bacon told Fox News Digital. The vote would just affirm House GOP support for investigating Biden and would not in itself see the president impeached. A Republican lawmaker told Fox News Digital they believe there is enough support for such a measure to pass. A second GOP lawmaker stressed that no decision has been made and that the formal impeachment inquiry vote was still in a “discussion” phase. SPEAKER JOHNSON: BIDEN ENGAGING IN ‘COVER-UP’ OF ROLE IN HUNTER BUSINESS DEALINGS, IMPEACHMENT PROBE CONTINUES At their weekly press conference on Wednesday, GOP leaders along with Comer, Jordan and Smith laid out their case for investigating the president and his family, accusing them of profiting off of his time as vice president. “This impeachment inquiry, led by the chairmen here today, James Comer, Jim Jordan and Jason Smith, continues to provide the American people the answers they both demand and deserve. They have found over $10 million from China, Russia, Ukraine and Romania funneled through a corrupt influence-peddling scheme to line the pockets of the Biden crime family,” GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said. “The DOJ, FBI and other federal agencies mobilized to play cover up and attack Biden’s leading political opponent, Donald Trump, in a desperate effort to distract from Joe Biden’s failings. And Joe Biden has lied continuously to the American people about how he was not only aware of, but was involved with and financially benefited from his family’s corrupt influence peddling schemes.” Biden and his allies have denied any wrongdoing. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for response on a potential formal impeachment inquiry vote but did not immediately hear back. The speaker’s office also did not return a request for comment.
Scott and two dozen GOP senators demand classified assessment on Biden plan to deter Iranian aggression
EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Tim Scott and two dozen GOP senators requested a classified assessment on the Biden administration’s plan to “deter” Iranian aggression and prevent the “escalation of conflict” in the Middle East. Scott, R-S.C., penned a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday after the Biden administration’s move earlier this month to issue a waiver to provide Iran access to approximately $10 billion. US, QATAR HAVE QUIET AGREEMENT TO BLOCK IRAN FROM ACCESSING $6B IN FUNDS AMID HAMAS’ TERROR ATTACKS ON ISRAEL Scott and his 24 Senate colleagues said the Biden administration is lacking a “cohesive Iran strategy.” Scott and the senators pointed out that Iranian proxies have increased their attacks against U.S. personnel in the region. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria have conducted more than 70 attacks against U.S. personnel since October 7. “United States forces have responded only three times,” Scott and the senators wrote. “However, at the same time, your administration has inadvisably taken steps to unlock tens of billions of dollars for Iran to fund additional terrorist activities that directly threaten American lives.” “The decision to extend this waiver and allow Iran to convert Iraqi Dinars to Euros was signed the day after U.S. Central Command carried out its latest strike against facilities used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian proxy groups in Eastern Syria, in response to their attacks against U.S. personnel,” Scott and his Senate colleagues wrote. “Such timing signals to Iran that despite attacks on U.S. service members and out allies, it is business as normal on the economic front.” The senators said that “money is fungible.” “Combined with the $10 billion waiver extension, the administration has provided Iran with access to roughly $16 billion in assets over the past four months; assets that can be used—now or in the future—to offset the cost of the Iranian regime’s increase in destabilizing activities across the region,” they wrote. But Scott and the senators are demanding the United States take action to prevent the war in Gaza from expanding. IRAN CELEBRATES NEW HYPERSONIC MISSILE AMID NEW THREATS BY ITS PROXIES AGAINST US, ALLIES “A strong signal of deterrence—utilizing military, economic, and diplomatic tools—is needed if we want to stop the attacks against U.S. personnel and prevent the war in Gaza from expanding into a protracted regional conflict,” they wrote. “Unfortunately, the administration’s military and economic responses to Iran and its proxies have not only been disproportionate, they appear to be completely disjointed.” Scott and the senators requested a classified assessment from the State Department, Defense Department and the Treasury Department to break down the administration’s “plan to deter Iranian aggression and prevent the escalation of conflict in the Middle East.” “This assessment should include an estimation of how Iran has already leveraged—and could in the future leverage—against U.S. persons and interests the tens of billions in assets it now has access to due to your administration’s use of U.S. sanctions waivers and is to be provided in a member or staff-level briefing no later than December 7, 2023,” they wrote. Scott was joined by Republican Sens. Roger Wicker; Chuck Grassley; Mike Crapo; Thom Tillis; Kevin Cramer; Mike Braun; Ted Budd; J.D. Vance; Bill Cassidy; Pete Ricketts; Shelley Moore Capito; John Cornyn; Cynthia Lummis; Bill Hagerty; Marco Rubio; John Hoeven; Roger Marshall; Steve Daines; Ted Cruz; Tom Cotton; John Barrasso; Katie Britt; Joni Ernst; and Deb Fischer. The letter comes after Scott and his Senate colleagues in August demanded answers from the Biden administration after it released approximately $6 billion in frozen assets to Iran in exchange for American prisoners. Administration officials have said that there is a “quiet” agreement with Qatar to block Iran from accessing the assets, which should be designated for humanitarian aid.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose consulted anti-abortion groups while drafting Issue 1 ballot language
Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose consulted with three prominent anti-abortion groups while drafting the contested ballot language used to describe Issue 1, an abortion-rights measure overwhelmingly approved by voters earlier this month, cleveland.com reported Wednesday. The Republican elections chief and 2024 U.S. Senate candidate revealed having help with the wording while speaking at a Nov. 17 candidate forum hosted by the local Republican club Strongsville GOP, according to the news organization. OHIO VOTERS APPROVE AMENDMENT ENSHRINING ABORTION ACCESS INTO STATE CONSTITUTION The constitutional amendment’s backers blasted the ballot summary offered by LaRose, in his role as chair of the Ohio Ballot Board, as “rife with misleading and defective language” intended to encourage “no” votes. LaRose’s wording substituted “unborn child” for “fetus” and suggested the measure would limit “citizens of the State” from passing laws to restrict abortion access when it actually limited state government from doing so. The pro-Issue 1 campaign, Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, eventually sued and won a part victory at the Ohio Supreme Court. In response to a question at the forum, LaRose said that his office consulted with Susan B. Anthony Pro Life America, the Center for Christian Virtue and Ohio Right to Life while writing the ballot language, three groups with central roles in the anti-Issue 1 campaign, Protect Women Ohio. LaRose said the anti-abortion groups pushed for changing “pregnant person” to “woman” as a way of benefiting their campaign while remaining accurate enough to withstand a court challenge. He said they liked it because their campaign was named Protect Women Ohio and their yard signs said “Protect Women.” “So they wanted that,” the news organization reported LaRose saying. “They thought that was reasonable and would be helpful to them. And they thought it would be honest.” When asked about the language previously, LaRose described his role as writing truthful and unbiased language. PRO-LIFE GROUP ADDRESSES WHAT WENT WRONG IN OHIO ABORTION VOTE, HOW TO RESPOND IN 2024 Gabriel Mann, a spokesperson for Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, said it was always clear that LaRose’s chosen language was intended to benefit the amendment’s opponents. “LaRose never cared about American democracy or Ohio values, which makes him wholly unfit for any public office,” Mann told cleveland.com. LaRose spokesperson Mary Cianciolo said the secretary “always is going to represent the conservative values on which he was elected.” “The ballot board is a bipartisan body made up of members with at times differing opinions on how public policy should be defined,” she said in a statement. “It’s common for members to disagree on the language, as you’ve seen at almost every meeting. The language can be true and defensible at the same time. It was also upheld as accurate by the state Supreme Court.” In a divided ruling, justices ruled that only one element of the disputed language, the part that implied it would rein in citizens as opposed to the government, was misleading and had to be rewritten.
Appeals court reinstates gag order in Trump fraud case
A New York appeals court reinstated a gag order preventing former President Donald Trump from maligning court staffers on Thursday. New York Judge Arthur Engoron had initially issued the gag order in early October after Trump lashed out at one of his law clerks on social media. Trump is currently fighting accusations of business fraud leveled by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Appeals court Judge David Friedman had issued a stay on Engoron’s gag order on Nov. 16, saying it potentially infringed on Trump’s First Amendment rights. By that time, Engoron had already fined Trump $5,000 for violating the order on social media on Oct. 20, and did so again on Oct. 25 for another $10,000 before threatening imprisonment if further violations were committed. NEW YORK JUDGE LIFTS TRUMP GAG ORDER IN CIVIL FRAUD TRIAL OVER FREE SPEECH CONCERNS Trump took the stand to testify personally in early November. He repeatedly cast James’ years-long investigation and lawsuit as a “disgrace” and an attack on his business and his family. JUDGE IN TRUMP’S GEORGIA ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE ORDERS ‘SENSITIVE’ EVIDENCE WITHHELD FROM PUBLIC Trump has denied any wrongdoing and insists his assets were actually undervalued. Trump has repeatedly said his financial statements had disclaimers requesting that the numbers be evaluated by the banks. Engoron ruled in September that both Trump and his company had committed fraud by deceiving banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing. GEORGIA REPUBLICANS DUNK ON VOTING LAW CRITICS AFTER MLB ALL-STAR GAME RETURNS TO ATLANTA “There was no victim here – the banks were represented by the best, biggest, most prestigious law firms in the state of New York – actually in the country, some of the biggest law firms,” Trump said when the trial began. “The banks got back their money, there was never a default, it was never a problem, everything was perfect. There was no crime.” Trump has attacked Engoron and James–both Democrats–as politically biased “operatives.” “They are defending the Worst and Least Respected Attorney General in the United States, Letitia James, who is a Worldwide disgrace, as is her illegal Witch Hunt against me. The Radical and Unprecedented actions of Judge Engoron will keep BUSINESSES and JOBS forever out of New York State,” Trump wrote in a recent social media post. Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report
Fauci set to be grilled by House GOP majority for first time
Dr. Anthony Fauci is facing the House GOP majority for the first time in a marathon two-day session behind closed doors to discuss the U.S. government’s handling of COVID-19. Fauci, the former longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will be interviewed by the House Oversight Committee’s select subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic. It’s taking place across two days on Jan. 8 and 9, with each day set to last seven hours without accounting for breaks, the committee announced on Thursday. DESANTIS JABS TRUMP WITH FAUCI LINE AT FOX NEWS DEBATE: ‘WHY ARE WE IN THIS MESS?’ Fauci also agreed to testify in a public hearing at a later date, the committee said. The immunologist was the most public-facing federal health official during the COVID-19 pandemic, under both the Trump and Biden administrations. President Biden ended up elevating Fauci to his top medical adviser, a position he left when he left his other role at the end of 2022. FAUCI MISLED TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ON GAIN-OF-FUNCTION RESEARCH IN WUHAN, BOOK CLAIMS He ended up taking a large share of blame for the negative impact of public health measures at the time, with his endorsement of lockdowns and school closures since being blamed for significant learning loss among students across the U.S. Chairman Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, said Fauci’s testimony was critical to his panel’s investigation of the “origin of COVID-19, coercive mandates, gain-of-function type research, scientific censorship, and more.” “It is time for Dr. Fauci to confront the facts and address the numerous controversies that have arisen during and after the pandemic,” Wenstrup said in a statement. “Americans deserve trusted public health leaders who prioritize the well-being of our people over any personal or political goals.” COVID-19, FLU AND RSV VACCINES ARE ALL AVAILABLE THIS FALL: SEE WHAT SOME DOCTORS RECOMMEND AND WHY CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Thankfully, retirement from public service does not shield one from congressional oversight nor accountability to the American people. During Dr. Fauci’s upcoming testimonies, honesty is non-negotiable,” he added. Wenstrup and Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., began probing Fauci and the Biden administration in February, sending letters to Fauci and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines seeking information related to the theory that COVID-19 originated in a lab in Wuhan, China.